Paul Alexander, man with ‘iron lung’ passes away at 78 | Maqvi News

Paul Alexander, famously known as “Polio Paul”, has died at the age of 78 after being paralysed because of polio and staying alive with the help of a 7ft iron lung since 1952, Mirror reported.

Alexander was paralysed after he was struck with polio at the age of six in Dallas, Texas and was put in an iron lung, a machine that kept him alive for seven decades.

However, according to an update on his GoFundMe page on Tuesday, Alexander passed away on Monday, March 11.

The post reads: “Paul Alexander, ‘The Man in the Iron Lung’, passed away yesterday. After surviving polio as a child, he lived over 70 years inside of an iron lung which was first made in 1927.

“In this time Paul went to college, became a lawyer, and a published author. His story travelled wide and far, positively influencing people around the world.”

The page also featured a message from his brother, Philip, who said: “I am so grateful to everybody who donated to my brother’s fundraiser. It allowed him to live his last few years stress-free. It will also pay for his funeral during this difficult time.

“It is absolutely incredible to read all the comments and know that so many people were inspired by Paul. I am just so grateful.”

The page’s organiser Christopher Ulmer has disabled new donations to the GoFundMe, which covered his medical costs and provide him with housing.

Paul published his biography ‘Three Minutes for a Dog: My Life in an Iron Lung’ in 2020 and was recognised by Guinness World Records as having spent the longest amount of time living in an iron lung.

In the mid 1900s, polio caused widespread disease and death, primarily affecting the central nervous system, causing paralysis in about 0.5% of cases.

In 1979, the US declared itself polio-free after a campaign to inoculate Americans with the 1953 virologist Jonas Salk’s vaccine, which was crucial for those suffering from pulmonary paralysis.